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Fourth person dies following COVID-19 outbreak at Gallatin nursing home

A spokesman for Sumner Regional Medical Center confirmed the fourth death Wednesday.

The flagship hospital for HighPoint Health System is treating dozens of the residents from the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing, which turned into a hot spot for the illness in Tennessee.

More than 100 people — 74 residents and 33 staff — tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. All patients have been relocated to nearby medical facilities so the Gallatin nursing home can be deep cleaned.

Medical personnel stage at the Gallatin First Church of the Nazarene before transporting patients out of the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on Monday, March 30, 2020, in Gallatin Tenn. Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean

A Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing worker talks on her phone in the parking lot as patients are transported out of the facility on Monday, March 30, 2020, in Gallatin Tenn. Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean

Medical personnel stage at the Gallatin First Church of the Nazarene before transporting patients out of the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on Monday, March 30, 2020, in Gallatin Tenn. Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean

Medical personnel stage at the Gallatin First Church of the Nazarene before transporting patients out of the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on Monday, March 30, 2020, in Gallatin Tenn. Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean

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Local, county and state resources are involved in helping the private care facility address the outbreak.

The state helped bring in a contractor to disinfect the Gallatin nursing home in accordance with protocols laid out by the Centers for Disease Control, said Laine Arnold, the governor's spokeswoman, in an email. A state surveyor was inspecting the facility Wednesday to make sure it was safe for residents to come back, she said.

"Once the inspection is completed, residents who had tested negative or who had tested positive and since recovered will reenter the facility. Residents who tested positive and have not recovered will remain at Sumner Regional Medical Center and other area hospitals, for quarantine and monitoring," Arnold said.

Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said the work of tracking down the origin and evolution of the Gallatin center outbreak is ongoing.

The coronavirus is a pandemic that continues to impact life in Tennessee in a variety of ways. The USA Today Network newsrooms in Tennessee are uniquely positioned to cover this crisis. We're providing this critical information for free. To support our mission, please consider a subscription. For more information on COVID-19, please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.